5 Best Photography Backdrops in 2019

You found the perfect subject to shoot, your high-end camera is ready to roll, and yet there’s still something missing. Either your shots don’t look professional enough, or the scene you’re placing your subject in front of takes the limelight away from them. Both problems are easily fixed with a versatile piece of seamless material – the professional photography backdrops.

Having a good backdrop can make the difference between your family photography business taking off and being stuck in perpetual amateur limbo, so it’s definitely a part of one’s overall photography kit you’ll want to scope out. Whether you’re snapping pics of newborns, capturing commercial products in the best light possible, or making lasting memories for newlyweds, there’s a backdrop among our top picks that’s perfect for the job.

There are many sizes, colors, and material types to pick from, and getting the right one may seem a bit intimidating. If you’re unsure which photography backdrop to purchase even after reading their reviews, turn to the buyer’s guide for more helpful tips & insight.

1. Westcott 130 Green Screen Backdrop

Every self-respecting portrait photographer who’d like to offer their customers more than just a bland background needs a green screen! There are so many of them out there, and most have one thing in common – they’re a pain to iron out after they’ve been washed since the materials they’re made of are prone to wrinkling. With Westcott’s new green screen backdrop, you can finally spend more time editing in the background you offer and let the backdrop straighten itself out.

A Dream in Emerald Green

Westcott had the bright idea to manufacture this backdrop out of fleece, and the advantages turned out to be overwhelmingly positive. The fabric is textured yet uniform in appearance, meaning that you won’t have any sort of glare to deal with regardless of lighting circumstances. It does a great job of dispersing light that lands on it in an even manner, reducing hotspots to a minimum. Since considerably less light is reflected from the backdrop, you can also move your subjects closer to it if need be.

Not needing to iron it is probably the backdrop’s biggest selling point though. Once it gets dirty, you can chuck it into the washer and drier, thread a pole into its pocket, and expand the backdrop to its full width. The result? A wrinkle-free green screen you can use again straight away.

Are there Drawbacks?

Only circumstantial ones. The backdrop has no eyelets on its sides, meaning that you’ll need to get creative if you’re planning to have the 10-foot side be on top. Apart from that, making the accompanying bag out of the exact same material wasn’t the best of ideas since there’s a lot of friction between it and the backdrop. Expect to take longer than intended when storing it inside the bag or taking it out.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 9 x 10 ft.

Material: Fleece

Color: Chromakey green

Machine-washable: Yes

The Pros

Doesn’t wrinkle

Holds up well under all kinds of light

Easy to clean

Serves as both a green screen and a backdrop

The Cons

No way to secure it on the longer side

Hard to get out of and into its bag

2. Fovitec StudioPRO Pop-Out Muslin Backdrop

It’s tough when you have to shoot in tiny spaces your standard backdrop doesn’t fit into. It’s even more of a challenge to take portrait photos on the go and not have the professional backdrops and lighting equipment you’re used to using in your studio at hand. There’s an elegant and effective solution for that from Fovitec – the portable, collapsible backdrop.

Great Results Wherever You Go

This ingenious 5 by 6-foot piece of oval muslin fabric is an extremely portable backdrop which takes a second to take out of its carrying case and assume its shape. When folded, it takes up about a third of its full size and doesn’t get in the way. Its compact profile makes this a great backdrop for streamers and vloggers too as you can turn your bedroom into any kind of background if you purchase the green/blue option.

That’s right, most of the portable backdrop’s models are two-sided! There’s one with white on one side for product shots and black on the other for portraits; another one is meant for both green- and blue screen shooting. There are also some abstract ones that are great for family or graduation photos etc., so there’s really something out there for any type of studio photographer. Whichever color you pick, the flexible frame that surrounds the fabric makes sure that it is always taut, eliminating wrinkles altogether.

What Could Be Better?

You may encounter some problems when folding the backdrop up, even more so if you’re shorter than average. Folding requires pulling the top and bottom side of the steel cage together and then twisting them together into a round shape which fits into the carrying case. It’s hard to do on your own and requires some fiddling, which may become frustrating if you constantly have to pack and unpack the backdrop.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 5 x 6 ft.

Material: Muslin

Color: Black/white, blue/green, Blue/grey, blue, brown, grey, red

Machine-washable: No

The Pros

Light and portable

Has two (different) sides

Easy setup

Comes with carrying case

The Cons

Hard to fold back up

3. Kate Microfiber Abstract Photo Backdrop Portrait Background

Are you in need of a photography backdrop that’s ideal for portraiture? Something that isn’t too “out there““, but not drab and monotonous either? In that case, turn to Kate Photography and pick one of their abstract portrait backgrounds. With colors that are spot-on, a good all-around size and almost hassle-free maintenance, you’re getting not just a cool-looking backdrop, but a real asset to your photography business.

Capturing the Best in People

Kate has had success with their portrait backdrops before, but it wasn’t until they switched to a new microfiber material that their quality became noteworthy. Now they’re machine-washable, aren’t prone to wrinkling, and easy to iron out if wrinkles do rear their heads. The light absorption properties of the backdrop are excellent as well with no glare to speak of, even with the bright monochrome model.

The abstract background has an excellent color balance and a smooth gradient which varies in intensity based on the color you buy. We particularly liked the brown one as its palette was the most vibrant. The pattern is subdued yet never dull and directs one’s attention to the person that’s in the photo well. In a pinch, you can turn the backdrop around and have a white surface to work with too.

What’s Bad About It?

There is a bit of wrinkling to be expected, but nothing a gentle steam-ironing won’t set straight. A bigger problem is the fabric’s fondness for dust. Expect it to build up steadily over time due to static electricity, but don’t take a brush to the backdrop as it can leave visible marks in the pattern. You’ll have to buy one of those lint rollers and go over the backdrop with it from time to time.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 10 x 10 ft.

Material: Microfiber

Color: Grey, black, brown, purple, dark pink

Machine-washable: Yes

The Pros

Richly-colored

Minimal glare

A lot of colors to choose from

Wrinkles are easy to smooth out

The Cons

Collects dust which is tricky to get out

4. Flotone Vinyl Graduated Background

While cloth definitely has its advantages, the list of best photography backdrops would lack depth if we didn’t include at least one example of vinyl. The Flotone graduated background is an interesting choice for your next backdrop purchase as its pattern calls out to be experimented with, while its material properties make it able to withstand much more than a cloth backdrop could.

Challenging Your Imagination

This backdrop has a seemingly simple pattern – deep black that seamlessly transitions to white the lower one looks. Used with a bit of skill, this matte pattern can produce dynamic portraits as well as do justice to more avant-garde motifs. Particularly helpful in that respect is its ability to handle even direct light sources still produce no glare. Once the shoot is over, you simply roll it up and put it away – no wrinkles, no clutter.

Vinyl and water play well together, so well in fact that you can not only have your subjects drink a glass near the backdrop without worrying about spills, but you can actually make water part of your photo shoots as it slides right off without leaving a trace.

Are there Downsides?

You won’t mind getting water on the backdrop, but the same isn’t true for other substances. Since vinyl can’t be machine-washed, you’ll have to pay extra attention that stuff like makeup, food, and dirt don’t get onto it. Sometimes all it will take to get rid of these is a little elbow grease and some dish soap. Other times you’ll have to push harder and run the risk of creating permanent creases in the material.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 10 x 10 ft.

Material: PVC

Color: Black to white gradient

Machine-washable: No

The Pros

Fun and versatile pattern to work with

Easy to store and free of wrinkles

Resistant to water

The Cons

Can be tricky to clean

5. Julius Studio White Photography Backdrop

If you’re on a limited budget and would still like to set up a functional home photography studio for various projects, then a simple white backdrop is a great place to start. Julius studio makes one which will provide a pristine white background to your early experiments at a price that’s tough to beat. What more could a beginner want?

Getting off to a Good Start

This is a no frills, no fuss backdrop whose 6 feet of width makes it ideal for cramped spaces and smaller subjects. There are two surfaces to choose from, reflective and non-reflective. It’s a bit on the thinner side – just enough to let you experiment with background light – but not to the point where anything behind it would be visible. The fabric is very soft too, so if you’re into photographing newborns / toddlers, they’ll feel right at home on it.

What We Didn’t Like

At just over 10 bucks, there’s really not much sense in complaining about anything. And yet, there’s the matter of wrinkling. You first encounter it when you open the package up and are greeted with serious packaging creases. Giving it a wash and then tumble-drying helps, but as the backdrop is fairly thin wrinkles pop up constantly, especially if you haven’t stretched it all the way out and secured everything with clamps.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 6 x 9 ft.

Material: Muslin

Color: White

Machine-washable: Yes

The Pros

Very affordable

Bright white color

Two surfaces

Soft

The Cons

Wrinkles easily

What to Look for in a Photography Backdrop?

Purpose

The essential step in choosing the best photography backdrops is to assess your needs first. What kind of photography will the backdrop primarily be used in? Will its use involve children, pets, or other unpredictable subjects? Do you have a budget for just one backdrop, or do you have money to spend to cover more than one essential? Figuring these out will bring you a step closer to a smarter purchase.

Material

Your choice of backdrop material can affect the outcome of your photos in a dramatic way as different materials are better suited for different situations.

Canvas and muslin are the most luxurious and most expensive in case of the latter. They make up for their price in versatility – you can use these fabrics as conventional backdrops when taut, or take advantage of their folds and create scenes of a more seductive nature. Another big plus is that they are rich in color and won’t fade away with long use. If you’re planning on creating a warm & cozy atmosphere for individual or group portraits of a memorable nature, these two are the way to go.

Seamless paper is best used when you want your shots to really pop! Cheerful model headshots, car showcases, and elaborate scenes that make their way onto billboards look their best in front of a brightly-colored backdrop. It stains the easiest and is prone to tearing, but the seamless paper makes up for its shortcomings by being available in lots of colors at the most affordable prices. You’ll also find that seamless paper backdrops can be far larger without becoming prohibitively expensive.

Vinyl has a good mix of both the above materials’ strong suits. On one hand, it has a clean appearance much prized in the corporate and marketing worlds. On the other, cleaning is possible and won’t result in unseemly creases. Quality vinyl backdrops boast a light-absorbing matte finish which ensures glare-free results. Care needs to be taken when storing them though as accidentally creating creases in vinyl makes them permanent.

Size

Depending on your working conditions and most frequent subjects, you may not need a large backdrop at all – people sitting still for their ID photos or small children can be shot even in cramped conditions. Keep in mind though that for the best results your subject ought to be a minimum of three feet away from the backdrop, so take this distance into consideration. If you need a one-size-fits-all backdrop, ones measuring 9 by 10 feet are a good place to start.

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I like what you said about the color balance of the abstract backdrop and how the intensity varies based on color. I imagine a backdrop like this could work really well with different coloring and ethnicities, but you might have to find several variations or colors of it to get the full benefit of that. If I were going to have a photo backdrop, I’d want a green screen so that I could have more versatility. http://capitoldcphotos.com/green-screen-photo-service.html